Swift start!
Page 18
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by Derek Moses • Once again the Lorry Driver of the Year competition, sponsored by CM, began with an eliminating round at Weymouth, Dorset, on Saturday.
Smooth organization, combined with a somewhat disappointingly low entry (49 competitors compared with about 80 in the past two years), resulted in nearly all the tests being completed before the scheduled official lunch break. In the event, it was decided to delay the break by a few minutes in order to complete the tests, so that the lunch was followed by the announcement of all the results and presentation of the trophies.
Several theories were put forward for the low turn-out, and included the suggestion that heavy taxation and financial worries had reduced the number of entrants, although an influenza outbreak in the area led to all the competitors from Schweppes (Foods) Ltd. having to withdraw. Last year this company's area depot staff carried off the best team award, which went on Saturday to the team from the Atomic Energy Authority establishment at Winfrith; a different team from Winfrith obtained this award in 1967.
For the second year running, the overall winner was B. Pullinger, driving a Ford truck of Sunny Bank Sand Co. Ltd., who incurred only 47 penalty points—an improvement over his 77 last year. Mr. Pullinger took second place in his class at last year's finals at Bramcote, with 108 points.
A driver with a good record is K. Hodges of Shell-Mex and BP Ltd., driving an Albion tanker, who was champion driver at Weymouth in 1967 with 68 points. He was class winner last year with 58 penalty points and scored a hat-trick by winning class E2 again on Saturday, though with an increased number of penalties (106), Mr. Hodges is now entitled to apply to the "Order of the Knights of the Road" for the title Companionship of the Order.
Despite the misfortune which hit Schweppes (Foods) Ltd., Schweppes (Home) Ltd. fielded two contestants in Class C. One of these, G. E. Legg, won this Class with 75 penalties, an identical figure being obtained by F. G. Thorne, driving a BMC van of BRS, Bournemouth, winner of Class D. In fact there was a very close finish in Class D, L. Pennington driving a Bedford of Metal Box Co. Ltd., Poole, coming second with 80 points and P.
C. Byers, also of BRS, Bournemouth, was third with 86 points.
However, the second lowest "score" of the day was that obtained by N. E. Squire, driving an AEC articulated tanker outfit of Regent Oil Division, Texaco Ltd. who incurred only 58 penalty points.
In recent years the award for the best Service driver in the Weymouth round has gone to the Army, but this year it was captured by J. D. Buckley of the Royal Navy Stores Department, Portland, the only contestant in Class Fl .